Kevin and Chris

Kevin and Chris Part 6: Chapters 20-22

Legal Note: Don't read this if your under 18 years of age or whatever age is legal in your area. The following story is FICTION and shouldn't be taken like it's real or anything. It's not real. I'm not saying the boys are gay or that they act the way I portray them. Anything that is licensed is so and I am not an affiliate of the places mentioned below.

Mistake in the last installment, it was Part 5, not 4. Sorry about that. Well, on with the story! Thanks for all the emails that I received from the last part of the story. It really keeps me going knowing that people actually read this stuff.

Chapter 20

I stood in the airport terminal for a few minutes after the plane had faded from view to collect my thoughts. Kevin was gone. That was the gist of it. Holly had left a few minutes earlier, she was still mad at me for butchering her relationships. The rest of the guys left with Kevin, and our good-byes were short. I'd have to go to work tomorrow, but I had the rest of today free. The house would be empty without the guys there and lonely too, since Holly and I weren't on speaking terms. I slowly walked towards the terminal exit and out to the car. On the freeway, I passed a familiar building and I decided to pay a visit to a place I hadn't been for what seemed like ages. I took the next exit on the freeway and arrived at the parking lot. I found a space under a tree and parked the car. Getting out of the car, I looked around the lot I had been to many times before. The hedges, the trees, and the noble building at the other end of the asphalt. I walked to the building and stopped before walking into the large wooden doors. I looked at the stone building and memories of my childhood rushed into my head. I had come to this church every week until High School, when I came whenever I could, about once a month. It was a place where sad things happened, like family funerals, and happy things, like Christmas congregations and Easter festivals.

I walked inside and sat down in the last pew in the room. The weekly congregation was over, and the church was mostly empty. I saw the stained glass on the windows and the beautiful light that they cast upon the room. I sat there for a few minutes, just thinking about the last week of my life and Kevin. My life wasn't the same anymore, I had someone who loved me and someone I could give my love to. I closed my eyes and the tears slowly trickled out of my eyes. The memories of Kevin going shopping with me, of us walking through the garden, and of us making love came to mind and I just couldn't handle the situation. It seemed out of my control. I felt a presence next to me and I wiped my eyes, my head still looking downward. A hand brushed over my back and I knew who it was instantly.

"I miss him so much." I quietly sobbed.

"You'll see him again." The person said. I looked up and as suspected, Holly was there, wearing her ash gray suit with a baby blue shirt underneath. She was obviously on her was to a meeting.

"Is it wrong to feel this way?" I asked. "We've only known each other for a week. I mean we had sex the second night. Is this right?"

"It's not wrong." Holly said. "I was, though. I wasn't being fair to Brian. He was trying to commit to this relationship, but I wasn't. You and Kevin have something special. Since we're in a church, I'll say that you have something sent from heaven. Don't mess this up." She looked around the church, "We haven't been here together in a while, huh?"

"No, we haven't." I said. "We should come here more often. It's really peaceful." We both looked around. Other than someone dusting the pedestal in the front of the room, we were the only people in the large church. Holly's and my family would come here for services every Sunday, it was another excuse that Holly and I had to mess around, just joking and talking about the things happening in our lives. We weren't really that religious, we just came to think, at least that's what I did. I really didn't get all the baptizing and the communions and things, but I mean, just going to church to think about things in the peaceful room was a real nice rest from all the hustle and bustle in our lives.

"Why'd you come here?" Holly asked.

"I just came when I saw it from the freeway, I didn't really think about it. I always came here when I had big problems when we were going through high school." I said. "When I found out that high school was such a disappointment, I came here."

"Then we joined swim and everything went fine." Holly said. "High school was great to you. With swim, being the Vice President, salutatorian, yearbook editor, first chair cello in orchestra, I mean on the outside, you looked like the model student for everyone to follow. The person that everyone either hated or wanted to be like."

"That was on the outside. Most of it was for my parents, they tried hard to get me everything I needed for school, so I tried my best." I sighed, I had regained my composure, and I wasn't crying that much anymore.

"You turned out good, and I'm sure that your parents liked having the perfect son." Holly said.

"You're not so bad yourself." I said quietly. "But I'm far from the perfect son."

"You've got to learn to take compliments." Holly laughed subtly. "We should get going, so do your little prayer thing and let's head over to your parents I want to get some food before my meeting."

I put my hands together and bowed my head a little. 'God bless my family and Holly, and please God bless Kevin for me and make sure that he know I love him.' I said without speaking. Holly began to walk outside and I followed her. I walked over to my car and we drove to my parent's house.

We both arrived at about the same time and were greeted at the door by Maria, as usual.

"Where is your friend Kevin today?" She asked.

"Kev's in Florida." I said. "Where are mom and dad?"

"Your father's in the office and your mother's in the garden." Maria said as she gave Holly a quick hug. I walked quickly out to the garden and found my mother cutting some flowers, probably for inside the house.

"Hey mom." I said as I gave her a quick kiss and a hug. "What are you doing?"

"Just some gardening." She said. "Holly here today? I have to tell her something."

"She's inside. So do you mind if we take the horses out today?" I asked.

"Go ahead. You know you don't have to ask that." She said smiling. "I suspect that Kevin being away accounts for the visit today?"

"That and the free food. I'll see him in a week." I said.

"Is he coming back to New York then?" She asked, pulling out a weed.

"No, I'm going to be leaving for a while to be with Kevin." I said. "Didn't I tell you that?"

"You most certainly did not!" My mom said, surprised. "And what about work? Is Holly going to be home by herself?"

"Whoa, just one at a time mom. I work for them, it's like a business trip, but nicer. Holly will be OK at home." I shot out.

"I don't approve of this, but work is work, and if you're not going to be home for the job, I can't stand against you." Mom sighed.

"Well, thanks for the support!" I said as I ran over to the stables. I jumped onto Skyler and I rode him into the woods. I had to get away from everything, the stress, the pressure, the pain, and most of all, the loneliness. I rode the horse fast and hard through the trees and over the hills until I got to the clearing we were at a few days ago. I tied up the horse and I climbed into the small tree house that was there. I had to be alone. I needed to think about everything, and maybe Kevin would call me on my cell phone. It was past three, I guess I spent more time in the church than I thought. I forgot to tell mom that I had gone to the church today. I'd have to tell her that when I get back to the house. I sat there alone just thinking about the upcoming week. It was going to be hard without Kevin. It was already hard, and it was only a couple of hours without him. He barely said anything when we said good-bye, did he love me as much as I loved him? Was I wrong to think that him and me would last forever, we had everything against us, and nothing on our side, except for my love for him. Separate we fall and united we stand, right? Well, it wasn't working for me, because we were separated. Would we fall? Would our love make it through this ordeal?

"Chris, this door is a lot smaller now." Holly said as she squeezed through the small opening. "I cancelled my meeting, so we can spend the whole day up here, if we need it."

"Well, I don't think we will." I sighed.

"I think that you're blowing this way out of proportion." Holly said, sweeping some dried leaves away with her hand. "You'll see him in a week, and I'm sure that he misses you just as much."

"You're right." I said softly. "But if you are, why do I feel like that some of me is missing? I feel all alone and I'm not used to this."

"You've been alone for nineteen years. You haven't really dated at all, this is what, your third relationship? I think that you can wait a week." Holly said nonchalantly. I was surprised at the ease in her voice.

"Thanks for your understanding." I said sarcastically. I crawled out of the tree house with Holly screaming as she came after me.

"I'm sorry. Chris! Get back here don't run off, please!" She screamed as I got back onto my horse.

"Come on Skyler. Let's go." I said softly as I patted his neck and started a steady trot through the woods. I saw Holly behind me, and the concern on her face, but I didn't want to talk to her right now. Kevin and I were just a joke to her. I made the horse run faster through the forest as Holly followed. I just shook my head and the horse rode faster. Soon, Holly was just a speck on the horizon behind me. I made a few sharp turns and ended up at a little brook somewhere in the forest. I looked around for a little and got off of the horse. I tied him up and sat down on the soft grass next to the small stream of water. I just sat there, like I did in the tree house and hoped that Holly wouldn't come and try to get me to open up to her. I hate when she does that. I picked up a few pebbles from around me and threw them into the clear water. I threw more and more into the brook, with increasing force and speed. "This is for making him have to go in the first place." I said as I threw on in. "This is for making mom not wanting me to go." I threw another. "This is for making Holly so damn nosey." I said and threw another in. "This is for filling my life with all this crap." I said, another rock flew into the brook. "This is for making Kevin and me be apart." I said as I threw another in, this time, someone grabbed my arm. I turned around quickly and saw Holly, just standing there, looking at me with a caring look in her eyes. I dropped the rock onto the grass and wiped the tears that had formed on my face. I fell onto Holly, who was a little shocked at the move. I cried softly onto her shoulder and felt her pat my back softly. "I hate it when I cry so much." I said as I slowly stopped my sobs. She slowly rocked us together as I regained my composure. Suddenly, her cell phone rang and she had to release me. I sat back down on the grass and just stared at the water washing over the rocks and watching the leaves fall into the rushing water. Holly walked a few steps away to answer her phone call. She was talking to her newest client and how the meeting today was cancelled. I could hear her arguing and explaining as best as she could. I glanced at my watch, and noticed that it was getting late into the afternoon. I walked towards the horses and patted them lightly, they were getting fussy and wanted to get going. I climbed onto mine and saw Holly finish her phone call. She climbed onto her horse and we slowly trotted back to the stables. Surprisingly, we didn't get lost and it only took about an hour to get home. We walked into the kitchen of my parent's house and AI grabbed some water.

"You OK now?" Holly asked.

"I guess. We should get going, Kev's supposed to call later, and I'm not in the mood to talk to my dad about the whole situation." I sighed.

Holly gave me a little smile and we stared walking out, and as if on cue, my father calls from the den and wants to talk to me. Life works in weird ways, doesn't it? I slowly walked into the darkened room and saw my dad sitting in his chair behind his desk. I sat down on the couch that was in the room and looked at my dad. He looked tired. He took off his glasses and put them on the table.

"What is this whole deal about leaving home?" He asked sternly. "You know what your mother and I went through when you moved out with Holly, do you think that we'd take this any better?"

"Yes, I did, Dad. I'm not a little kid anymore, I can take care of myself and I don't need your approval." I told him.

"No, your not. I'll make sure of it." Dad said commandingly.

"You can't do a thing, dad. You're not my boss anymore. I don't work for you. This is a job requirement, daddy. If I don't do this, I'll get fired." I said confidently.

"Kevin has nothing to do with you leaving? I don't want you to be with him so much, it won't be good for you." He said.

"Listen to yourself Dad, you're not making any sense. Kevin isn't doing anything with me that any normal couple wouldn't be doing. I'm leaving and you can't do anything. Give my regards to mom, I don't think that we'll be seeing each other for a few months. " I said as I walked out of the office.

"Don't you walk out on this family." My dad hollered.

"You don't need me here, you have everything you need and everything else, but I don't. I don't have Kevin, and you can't give me that. No matter how hard you try, you can't." I walked out of the den and looked for Maria. She was in the kitchen making dinner. I ran to her and gave her a hug. "I love you, so much Maria, thanks for everything that you've done for me, I can't say or do anything that'll make up for it. Just take care of Mom and Dad. But most of all take care of you. I'll see you soon." I said.

"You're leaving?" She asked. I nodded slowly. "I wish you every happiness." She said, and gave me a soft kiss on each cheek. I gave her one last little hug and I ran out to the car. I drove off, not even saying anything to my mom, leaving my dad angry, and leaving Maria in tears.

Chapter 21

"I don't want to get up." I said as I yanked the covers over my body again. Justin and Christina were in my room, trying to get me out of bed and to the photo/video shoot. They came this morning to treat us to breakfast, but they decided to order in.

"You have to get dressed, we're leaving in like an hour." Christina said. "They need you at the shoot."

"I'm calling in sick." I said as Justin ripped the covers completely off of the bed. I curled up into a ball and tried my best to ignore them.

"You can't call in sick." Justin said, laughing. "You don't work enough to call in sick. Just get out of bed." I sighed and sat up. Christina was looking at something on the dresser and Justin was balling up the sheets to put on the bed.

"When did you get this?" Christina asked as she held up a silver picture frame.

"I don't know." I said as I walked over to get a better look. I took it from her and looked at it closely. It was a silver frame that was divided into four sections. In one of the sections, there was a picture of Kevin and me, well, they were all of Kevin and me, but the first on was of us at the mall, the first day we actually met. The next picture was of us kissing with the cheesecake slices on the floor next to us. Across from that one was a picture of me on Kevin's shoulders in the pool. The last one was empty, there wasn't a picture. I turned the frame over and there was a note attached.

'I heard you two talking on the phone last night, so I didn't give it to you then. I hope you like it. The last one's empty, there's a picture of you two and Bailey, but that one's in the living room. I'm sure that you two will get lots of chances for pictures while you're on tour. Don't forget me. Holly. Ps. There's a tape of the 'Runaway Bride' premiere in the VCR, they show you two talking to Melissa. Watch it, it's pretty funny. XO.'

"She's pretty sweet." Christina commented. "And you two look so cute together. Except that Kevin's like a geezer compared to you."

"He's not that much older than me." I said.

"Get ready, Chris." Justin said. "Worry about Kevin later."

"I always worry about Kevin." I said. "It's part of my job."

They two of them busied themselves by snooping around in my room while I took a shower and got ready. They were out before I was done, so I didn't have any falling towel mishaps on my way to the closet. I picked out a pair of those dark jeans that Kevin liked to wear and a white tee-shirt. I grabbed a short sleeved, button up linen shirt to wear over that and pulled on my Pumas. I walked downstairs and into the kitchen. The guys were sitting around talking and eating whatever was left of their breakfast.

"So you're done." Joey said. "We can get going, then."

"Yeah, sure, whenever you guys want to leave, I'm OK with it." I said as I grabbed a bagel.

"Sudden change of mood, I see." Justin joked. "What happened to that bitch of a Chris that we saw upstairs?"

"He got washed out in the shower." I joked. "He won't be back for a while."

"Good. I don't really like that one." Justin laughed. "Let's head out now." I took some cream cheese for the road and we headed out. We were taking my beamer and their rental car. So Joey drove the rental and J.C. drove my beamer so I could eat. Christina and Justin were in the back seat of my car and the others were with Joey. We drove to the shoot and I walked onto the lot and into the wardrobe trailer. Christina followed me while the other guys had to go to some meeting.

"So you like the job?" Christina asked.

"It's alright." I said lowly. "It gets kind of boring after like five minutes, but it's OK."

"So you and Kevin, eh? I never would have guessed. He's so...serious, and you're not that type. How can you stand being around him." She questioned as she looked through some magazine.

"He's not serious all the time." I said. "He can be really fun."

"Doing what?" She joked. "Going to the gym is fun? I heard that he's a real gym head."

"I don't go to the gym with him." I said as I dug through the racks of clothes that were in the trailer. "What the hell does that Chris wear?"

Christina laughed a little. "He does have some interesting taste. What do you and Kevin do together, other than the obvious."

"We go places together just spending time together is my favorite thing to do." I said. I put the clothes that I wanted them all to wear on a rack and sat down next to her. "He took me to Boston for a weekend. We went to the movies and a concert. It was a total surprise, it was like 'Hey wake up now, we're going to the airport.' And I wasn't sure what to do, but when I let myself go, I had the best time."

"You two are hopeless." She sighed. "Fallen so deeply in love you can't get out."

"Since when is that a bad thing?" I said. "Love isn't something that I think I can fall in and out of."

She smiled at my words. "When are you leaving for Florida?"

"Either Saturday or whenever this shoot is over. Kev said that I could leave right after the shoot."

"That's good, I think that I can go with you then. The other guys are kind of stiff, you know? Justin's all right, and so is Lance, but the others are kind of boring to be around."

"I guess you're right." I said. "Justin's a lot of fun."

"You're not so bad yourself." She said. I blushed and grabbed a pair of shoes that looked pretty cool. They were Doc Marten's.

"You think they'd notice if I took these?" I asked her.

"They'll notice, but they won't care." She laughed. "I take almost everything from my shoots."

"You're a lot of fun too, you know."

"I know." She said sarcastically. I grabbed her hand and dragged her out of the trailer.

We walked over to the snack table and I grabbed and apple. Christina took a banana and a pear and we walked over to the make-up trailer.

"You have breakfast this morning?" I asked her.

"Yeah, the banana's to throw at Justin." She said calmly.

"Throw at Justin?" I asked, confused.

"Yeah, when we were back at the house and eating, he flung some cereal at me. I'm just getting back." She laughed, peeling the banana and dropping the peel on the ground.

"Good luck." I said as we walked into the trailer. I saw all the guys lined up on chairs getting their hair done, or their make-up on. This was a lot like the Backstreet photo shoot. I sat down between Lance and Justin to distract Justin from Christina.

"You having fun?" I asked Justin.

"Oh yeah. Make-up makes me feel all pretty." He said as he batted his eyelashes and rolled his eyes. I could see Christina mashing the banana behind him, and so did Lance.

"Just...I think that you..." I cut him off by punching his shin.

"Look great." I finished for him. Lance smiled as he realized the situation. Christina finished mashing the banana and her fingers and palms were covered in banana mush. Justin was looking at us funny.

"You two are totally spaced out." He said. Christina reached her hands around his head and rubbed the banana all over his face. She got his whole face covered with the banana mush and he was too surprised to say anything. Christina was giggling uncontrollably as she wiped her hands of the mush onto Justin's face. Lance and I were laughing hysterically, as was the rest of the trailer.

"Shit!" Justin screamed as he tried to wipe the banana from his face. "What was that for?"

"The corn flakes!" Christina laughed.

"Don't ever want to get on her bad side." I said to Lance, who was still laughing. Justin must have heard us, he started to throw what was left on his face onto the two of us. Christina and I ran out of the trailer and stopped somewhere by the set.

"You are so immature!" I panted as we slowed.

"What about you? You laughed just as much as I did." She chuckled. "But it was funny, you have to admit that."

"It was funny." I agreed. "You better get dressed and made up, you might be late."

"Yeah, but I don't wanna." She whined. "We just ran from the make-up trailer. Plus I'm not until after the guys, they'll take a while. I hope."

"Let's look around." I suggested. She shrugged, and we both began to walk through the set. It was a really expensive looking mansion, and the rooms were decorated in a very Victorian style. It was way too gaudy for my liking, but I couldn't see how it would fit in with the guys' clothes. We walked around some more and bumped into some of the photographer's staff setting up in a patio.

"You guys are shooting in the patio?" I asked them.

"Yeah, this room and the garden, we're not going to set anything up in the house." The man said. I nodded and pulled Christina into the garden.

"The clothes go with this, right?" I asked her. She nodded and walked a little ahead of me, looking at some of the statues and plants.

"Back to Kevin." She said. "So you don't think that he's boring, I can get that, but does he boss you around like he does the other guys?"

"No." I said. "Why would he do that, I'm not one of the guys, I'm his boyfriend. We have a different relationship. Everything is equal, even when I don't think it should be."

"Really. I can't see that in Kevin." She said as she picked a flower. She put it on her ear and continued walking. "So you get along with the other guys?"

"I get along alright. Its not like we fight or anything, except Nick, he's not on good terms with me."

"I heard. That was really bad. I can see why you did that." We saw the guys coming into the garden, dressed and ready for the cameras. We both decided it was time for Christina to get ready, so we went back to the wardrobe trailer. She got dressed and we went to the make-up trailer. She sat down and I picked up a magazine.

"We need to grab Justin and do something really crazy." She said as the make-up lady put some curlers in her hair.

"Like what?" I asked as I flipped through the magazine.

"I don't know. You got any tattoos?" She asked. "Piercings?"

"I'm scared of needles." I told her.

"That's stupid. It's like nothing. After this shoot, Just and I are going to go get your ear pierced." She said.

"That's what you think." I said. "Kevin's not going to like it. Plus my parents would go ballistic."

"Who cares what Kevin thinks? He's got both of his ears pierced, and when you see the 'rents you can just take it out." She explained. I didn't like the idea, but I was bored, and hey, the holes closed up, and it wouldn't do any major damage if I got it done. "I want to get another one in my ear any ways." She said.

"Fine. I'll go, and watch you, if I think that it's OK, I'll do it."

"That's more like it." She smiled. "You'll like it. I promise." She finished getting ready and the rest of the afternoon was drab. It was just like the Backstreet photo shoot. Pose. Shoot. Pose. Shoot. It was really boring and I ended up going back into the wardrobe trailer. Maybe there'd be some magazines in there.

"Hey Chris! Wake up." I heard Justin say. "Don't fall asleep on us again."

I blinked my eyes open and saw Justin and Christina hovering above me for the second time today. "This is getting old." I said.

"Tell me about it." Justin said. "Well, we have the rest of the day off and Christina here says that we're going to get some ears pierced." He smiled widely and grabbed his hat. "Let's go!" He said as we walked out of the trailer.

"So you wanna get your ear pierced." Christina said. "Where do you want it?"

"I'm not sure yet. You know the deal. I'll see what happens and then I'll decide." I said. She rolled her eyes. "I want to get it high up like Justin's." I said. She smiled again and Justin snickered under his breath.

"You are so going to do this. Whether you like it or not." He said.

"I don't do anything that I don't want to." I said.

"Too late. We're here." He said proudly. We walked inside and Christina immediately said. "Move aside. We've got a first timer here."

I was a little embarrassed, but the lady led the three of us into a room with two chairs.

"What'll it be today?" She asked.

"Both ears for me. An ear for this guy, and Just, you want anything?" Christina said.

"No thanks." Justin said. "I got enough already."

"The two of you sit down." The lady said. She got the things ready and asked who wanted to go first. As promised, Christina would go first. She showed the lady where she wanted and the lady got the piercing gun out.

"It's nothing." Christina said, she winked and sat back in the chair. The lady brought the gun to her ear and in a snap, it was done. The other side was just as easy and Christina went through it without a flinch or a peep. "What I say? Easy as pie." She said triumphantly.

"Where do you want it?" The lady asked me. I pinched the cartilage of my left ear and said, "Right here."

"That's going to be different." She said. "No gun for that one. We're just going to use a needle."

I felt flush, but I was going to do this. The lady got a needle out and showed it to me. "Your cartilage has no nerves in it. You won't feel anything." She assured me. She smiled and I sat back. She brought the needle to my ear and I felt something pass through my skin. It didn't hurt, I just felt weird having something go through my ear. "See? Nothing at all." She said, like a doctor would say after giving a kid a shot. She put a silver hoop through the hole and we were done. We walked outside to the counter to pay.

"Next time, we're getting tattoos." Christina joked. I shook my head and paid for the both of us. The woman gave us some antiseptic and told us to put some on every day for a couple of weeks. We took it graciously and went home.

"Thanks for the ride." I said as we all walked into the house.

"It was your car." Justin said.

"But you drove." I said. We walked into the kitchen and I got us all some soda.

"Are the other guys coming over?" I asked Justin. Christina was playing with the dog, which jumped onto her lap when she sat down on one of the stools in the kitchen.

"Nah. They're going to the movies or something tonight." Justin told me. "Me and Christina are staying here, at least that's what Holly said this morning."

I nodded, and took another sip of my soda. "She'll be home around five or something like that today." I said. "When's your video shoot?"

"The day after tomorrow." Justin said. "But they're setting everything up tomorrow. You need to call the director to see about the wardrobe."

"I already did that. I don't want to work tomorrow, so I arranged it all today. I'm going to be leaving the day after tomorrow." I said.

"You're leaving early?" Christina said. "That's not fair!" Justin and I laughed at her whining. "I'm calling management. I'm leaving with him."

"We're all leaving with him. We're leaving after the shoot, late that night." Justin explained.

"Good." Christina said. "I'm not going to let you guys leave me here."

"Perish the thought." I said. "We'd never do that." She smiled and we moved out to the living room.

"You got anything to do?" Justin asked.

"We have board games, if you're bored." I said. "We can wait until Holly gets home and play Scrabble or Monopoly or something."

"Sounds good." Justin said.

"I need to use the bathroom." Christina said. I pointed to the hall and she left.

"Chris, I need to tell you something." Justin said softly.

"What?" I asked.

"Well, you know how Holly is practically throwing herself at me?"

"Yeah, isn't it stupid?"

"It is, especially since I'm not interested."

"Hey, she's not that bad." I laughed.

"This is serious, it's not that I don't like her, I do, she's great. It's just that..." He paused.

"Yeah..." I said, trying to coax him into telling me.

"Well, you know you and Kevin? Well, it's like that for me too." He said lowly.

"You mean..."

"Yeah, I'm gay too." He said slowly. "When I saw you and Kevin...together the other day, I was just thinking that I wanted that. I wanted to be able to do that with a guy and not have to hide it anymore. I'm scared that the guys won't like me anymore. When you told them about you and Kevin, I wanted to tell them too, but I couldn't."

"Why not?" I asked him.

"I was still too scared." He said. "But now, I think that I'm ready to tell some people, and since you know, I've already started to. "

"Well, I'm happy for you." I said.

Christina came back, and apparently so did Holly, because they both walked into the room together. "Don't tell them." Justin whispered. "Please."

"I'm not going to, you are." I told him. He nodded slowly, "You don't have to do it today. Do it whenever you feel like it." I said softly, too softly for Holly and Christina to hear. They were getting the Scrabble board out, Christina must have said something. They brought the set out and put it on the floor. We set up and played a couple of rounds. We were on our third game and it was Justin's turn. He had won two of the other games and I had won the other. Holly and Christina were getting rather angry, and disappointed, but that only made the game more fun for Justin and me. Justin put his next word down. 'Crunk.'

"That's not a word." Holly yelled.

"It is too." Justin said. "I say it all the time."

"That doesn't mean it's a word." She fought back.

"You put down 'doohickie.' Right there." Christina said. "That's not a word. Let it go."

"Fine. But that's the only one." Holly sighed.

"Thank you." Justin smirked. "Well, let's see, that's a double word score, and that means that I'm in second place and Chris is in the lead."

I though for a few moments, and put my word down. 'Kevin.' It was off of the 'K' from Justin's turn. I smiled as I put each letter tile down.

"You know the rules, Chris." Holly said.

"Yeah, everyone gets to put down one word that doesn't really go with the rules. This one is mine." I said happily. Holly just shook her head. "Sore loser." I said. She glared at me and we continued with the game.

"Chris gets a triple word score and puts me back by thirty points. Jackass." Justin joked. I punched him in the shoulder and Christina put her word in. We glared at her as she happily put her tiles on the board. 'Eternally.' The words that she crossed were her own. She'd been planning this almost the entire game.

"Took you guys long enough." She laughed. "I think that I'm winning, now, Justin?"

Justin looked her word over, and started to add up her score. She picked up two double word scores and that threw her into the lead. We all threw the pillows that were on the couch at her, and she collapsed laughing.

"You guys suck!" She screamed. "I win! Finally!" It was true, she beat me by two points, leaving Justin with third and Holly was last, again.

"Better luck next time." Justin told her. She smiled when she realized Justin was talking to her. She was hopeless, just like those teenybopper girls that I've seen on TV. It was getting late, I guess that Scrabble takes more time than you notice.

"So you guys are leaving tomorrow night?" Holly asked.

"We're leaving the night after tomorrow night." Justin told her. She blushed and started to put the game away, you know the rules, loser cleans up. "Well, where are we all sleeping tonight?"

"Chris gets his room. I get mine, and you two can fight over the sofa and the guest room." Holly told Christina and Justin.

"You can have the room." Justin said.

"You're such a gentleman!" Christina said sarcastically. She hit him playfully and that was settled.

"The sofa is a bed too." I told them. "So you guys want to have something to eat before you get to bed?"

"No thanks, the chips and pretzels kinda filled me up." Christina sighed. "So there's nothing to do tomorrow, 'N Sync has a video to do the next day, but me and Chris are free until we leave, right?"

"That's right! Now should we go over your abc's?" Justin said, he made it sound like Christina was a little kid.

"Very funny, banana boy." Christina said sternly, but she couldn't keep her straight face and burst out laughing. We all joined in and soon, we were all on the couch watching a movie that was on TV. Holly flipped the channel to MTV just in time for some interview with the guys.

"So the new Backstreet video 'Larger than Life' was just premiered on Total Request Live today. We have the boys here with us to tell us more about the video." Carson said.

"Oh, guess you get to see Kevin a little early, eh Chris?" Justin joked.

"Well, this video was shot about three weeks ago and it was before we hired some new staff and we looked kind of well...scary in the clothes that our dresser chose." A.J. said.

"Our new dresser is a lot more in tune with what we like and the trends, a lot better than the one that worked on this video." Kevin said. I smiled when I heard his talking about me. "I just want to say hi to Chris, our dresser, who is in New York at the time, working with our touring partners, 'N Sync." He waved into the camera, being more animated than usual in this interview.

"Well hi Chris!" Carson said excitedly. "Always nice to hear about the Backstreet staff." You could practically see the falseness in his words, but I didn't care, Kevin was thinking of me, and in my mind, that was all that mattered.

"This video is really cool looking, did you guys come up with the concept?" Carson asked them.

"Well, we thought of some things, and we collaborated with the director." Howie said. "He's worked with us before, and he knew what we liked."

"Well, it turned out great, and I'm sure it'll do well on the countdown." Carson said. Holly changed the channel and we continued watching the movie that we were watching earlier.

"Kevin was sooooo missing you out there in Florida." Christina said. "I bet he's just as anxious as you are to be together again."

"I know he is." I said proudly. At the end of the movie, I went upstairs to get ready for bed, and just as I was about to get under the sheets, the phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Hey, you doing OK up there?" I heard Kevin say. Another smile came to my face just by hearing his voice.

"I'm fine, saw you on TV today." I told him.

"Which interview was it?" He asked.

"It was about the new video."

"Yeah, I remember that. We did it a yesterday."

"You were bagging your old dresser."

"Well, it was the truth, we looked like the leather pimps in space." He joked. "You do a much better job."

"Thank you. I'm so glad that the schedule moved up and I get to see you soon."

"You're not the only one." He said. We talked for a while until he had to get to bed, they had an early rehearsal, and Fatima was apparently on the rag. So I went to bed, knowing that Kevin was missing me just as much as I was missing him, maybe more.

The next morning, I woke up around ten, and got showered and dressed before going down to the kitchen, admiring my new earring while I was getting ready. Justin and Christina were eating breakfast when I got down there. Bailey was asleep on Christina's lap and Justin apparently just got up, his hair was mussed and he was wearing only his boxers and a wife beater.

"No food throwing today." I laughed.

"Not yet at least." Christina chuckled.

"Kevin called this morning." Justin said. My attention was immediately glued to what Justin was about to say. "He said that you should pack light, bring the picture frame to show him, and to bring that black sweater that you've kept." He said.

"Anything else?" I asked intently.

"Umm...oh yeah, he says that he loves you, and he has a surprise for you when you get there." He laughed.

"What are we doing today?" Christina asked, finishing her cantaloupe. "We have the entire day off."

I grabbed a piece of her cantaloupe, but she slapped my hand away. "Get your own." She said. I went to the refrigerator to get my own while she and Justin figured out what to do, it was just the three of us again.

"How about we go down and just walk around New York?" Justin asked. "I never really get to look at everything when we're here."

"Sounds good to me." I said. "How about we take the car to Fifth Avenue and just walk from there?"

"There's a plan." Justin said. "You up for it, Chrissy?"

"Chrissy?" Christina asked, irritated. "I realize that there are already two Chris' going on this tour, but please, no 'Chrissy.'"

"Wow, sorry about that." Justin said. "I'll go get ready and then we'll get going." I nodded Justin went to shower and get dressed.

"He tell you anything?" I asked Christina.

"No, why?" She asked, her blonde hair falling over her eyes.

"It's not important." I said. "You think that you can handle the dog out there, or should we leave him at home?"

"We'll take him along, don't want him all cooped up in the house now do we?" She said, she was talking in baby talk to the dog, a strange site to see indeed.

"I'll go get the leash." I went to the garage and got it, and when I got back, Justin was ready and writing a note for Holly. When he finished, we got into the car and were off to the city.

We parked the car in a parking structure and leashed the dog. We started walking, and not after a block, a group of girls saw Justin and screamed, "Oh my God! It's Justin!" They ran to him, totally pushing me out of the large herd of people that had surrounded the two. Christina and Justin were frantically signing autographs. Christina was trying to keep Bailey from getting trampled and he was trying to protect her from the horde by barking and jumping, but his little body was barely noticed by the screaming fans. I decided to stop by a Starbucks that wasn't more than three paces from where I was standing and when I got out, the crowd had dispersed to a few people. Justin and Christina were totally worn out, and looked like they had been caught in a stampede, which in reality was sort of what happened.

"Cookie?" I offered. Christina rolled her eyes and gladly took the peanut butter cookie from my hands. "Does that happen a lot?"

"More than we want it too." Justin said. He quickly dashed into the next store to buy a hat and we followed. We spent most of the afternoon just walking around, getting a hot dog for lunch and ended up in Central Park in the afternoon.

"You know what?" I asked them as we walked around the lake. "Being a celebrity sucks."

"It has its ups and downs." Justin said. "The craziness is nothing compared to the good things. Just think that if I wasn't famous, I'd never have the chance to know the guys and you. And if Kevin wasn't famous, you wouldn't have met him either."

I nodded in agreement and we kept walking. "Doesn't it make you just want to be normal when you have to wake up at three in the morning and sit in a plane for six hours?"

"Like I said, fame has its ups and downs."

Christina went off the path a little to let Bailey do his business, and we stopped. "No matter how famous you are, you still have to wait while your dog goes pee on a tree." Christina laughed. "Nothing changes when you think about it. We just happen to have more demanding jobs than the average Joe."

"We should get going." I said. "Traffic is here whether your famous or not too." We hopped a taxi back to the parking structure and drove home to find Holly fixing dinner.

"The guys said that you should call them, Justin." Holly said. "We're having pasta for dinner."

"What more could I ask for?" I said. "Julia Child over here makes the best pasta."

"You know it." She gushed. "It's almost ready. Go set the table." I did so, and Holly brought out the pasta and Justin followed with the breadsticks and Christina came out afterwards with salad. We all ate and talked about the day, and about the news reports that said that Justin was going out with Christina.

"Apparently, you were very close as you guys went shopping today." Holly said.

"Close my ass." Justin said. "We were just shopping, and hardly even doing that."

"Tabloids are the pits." Christina said. "Weren't you going out with Britney last week?"

"Yeah, that's what they said. And weren't you two in a cat-fight in some hotel?" Justin asked, half laughing.

"You know it." She laughed out. "They're kind of funny sometimes." We talked some more before going to supermarket. There was no trouble there, since the market's practically empty around eleven.

The next day was spent packing and waiting, Joey and the others were going to pick me up after the shoot, they had to return the rental car anyway. They came over with about an hour to spare.

"You got any food?" Chris asked as he popped his head into the refrigerator.

"Whatever you can find." I said as I tried throwing another M&M into J.C.'s open mouth. Justin and I were trying anything to pass time, and throwing candy into J.C.'s mouth as he slept seemed like something that would entertain us for a while, and it ended up entertaining us to the point that J.C.'s mouth was full of M&M's and Skittles.

"I win." I said to Justin. He threw a Skittle at me and we walked over to the kitchen, leaving J.C. asleep on the couch, his mouth still filled with candy. Joey was playing with the dog and Chris was chowing down on leftover pasta from yesterday. Lance was flipping through a magazine while sipping on a soda.

"Holly, go take a picture of J.C. and the candy in his mouth." I suggested. Justin and I were starved for entertainment and time seemed to be slowing down to a standstill. I couldn't wait to be with Kevin again.

"Let's just leave. We might as well wait at the airport if we're just going to wait here." He suggested. We all agreed and grabbed our luggage.

"Bye Holly." I said as I gave her a long hug. She couldn't go to the airport with us, because she had to get some work done for her latest client. "I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you too." She said. "Say hi to Brian for me."

"I will. Take care of Bailey, and keep my parents company." I sighed. My parent's and I still weren't on good terms. "See you soon."

"Chris! Let's get going!" I heard Joey yell from the front yard.

"I gotta go." I said to Holly. She nodded and I patted Bailey on the head before leaving for the airport with the guys.

We got to the airport and returned the rental car. The seven of us checked in, and waited in the VIP lounge in the boarding gate. We were all ready and anticipating the flight. The guys couldn't wait to get home, and I couldn't wait to get back to Kevin. Just then, Lance's phone rang, and his usually sleepy eyes bugged out as he listened to the voice on the other end.

"You guys," he said slowly. "We're going to be in New York for another week." My heart crumbled at the sound of his words and my body froze. I couldn't move, couldn't breathe, and I broke down. I couldn't handle it.

"Are you sure?" I asked urgently. He nodded and I just collapsed onto Justin's shoulder, crying my heart out, and soaking Justin's tee-shirt.

"Why?" Christina asked, surprised.

"They scheduled us to be on some shows, like Rosie, Leno, and Saturday Night Live." He sighed. "The tour doesn't start for a week, so they're taking every chance they can get for some public appearances."

"We should have stayed home." Chris whined. "Now we have to go back."

"This isn't a time to whine." Lance said. They started to argue in the lounge.

Justin patted my back, and tried to comfort my sobs, to no avail, I wasn't going to be with Kevin for a week, and I don't think that my heart could handle it.

Chapter 22

We arrived back at home, after getting another rental car and I went straight to my room, leaving the guys to explain the situation to Holly. I cried myself to sleep that night, and woke up the next morning on a pillow that was soaked with tears.

"Hey, good morning." Holly said as I walked into the kitchen. I gave her a week smile and slouched down in the stool by the counter. Holly thrust a mug of coffee in front of me and I swirled the spoon around in the glass. "I heard what happened." She sad softly.

"Well, can't beat the guys upstairs." I said sadly. I stared into my coffee, the liquid spinning around in the cup, the downward spiral of my life. "I'm going to go back to bed." I sighed.

"No, you're not." She said commandingly. "Me, the guys and Christina are taking you to the park, and we're going to have a picnic. Please try to enjoy yourself."

"Sure, I'll do whatever, just don't get on my case." I said.

"They'll be here around noon, so get the basket and the stuff." She said happily. "Most of the food is done, and they'll be here in like forty-five minutes." I went to the garage and got out the picnic basket, taking it into the kitchen to rinse the dishes and glassware. The guys came to the house and I silently went to the car.

"He's really out of it, isn't he?" Lance asked Holly. They were inside the house, and I was in the car.

"Yeah, he is." Holly said worriedly. "He was crying all night long." Lance nodded, and they both walked out to the car.

We got to the park, and spread out the picnic cloth on the ground and started to set some things out. Some of the guys were throwing around a football and Lance was helping Holly set up the barbecue. I walked over to the lake and sat down by the foot of a nearby tree, leaning against the hard wood. I stared out over the lake, light reflecting off the clear blue water, it was so pretty, Kevin would have liked to see it. He was the only thing on my mind.

"You want to eat something now?" J.C. asked when he came over. He sat down next to me.

"You know he misses you too, right?" He asked me. I nodded and kept my eyes straight ahead. "He's probably yelling his head off at management right now." J.C. continued. He let out a long sigh. "Well, if you want anything to eat, you know where it is." He said as he got up and left.

J.C. came back over with a plate of potato salad and some chicken on it. I shook my head, "No thanks." He stood up and walked away. I realized how impolite I was being. "J.C." I started to say, and started to get up. I didn't see him around, so I sat back down by the base of the tree. I tried to skip some rocks in the lake, but I was never that good at that. Someone from behind threw a rock into the lake, and it skipped quite a few times. I rolled my eyes, "Show off." I turned around, and my heart practically stopped. Standing before me was Kevin. He smiled at me and I threw my arms around his neck. He spun us around a few times, and then pulled me into a kiss.

"What are you doing here?" I asked him, my tears of sorrow were replaced with tears of joy. Kevin put me down and I realized that everyone was watching the two of us.

"I'm here because you are, and we belong together." Kevin said happily. "When I heard you weren't coming down to Florida, I came up here."

"How'd you manage that?" I asked him.

"I'm my own person, no matter who makes my schedule for the day, I am allowed to take that same schedule and toss it into the trash." He explained. "Nobody can keep me from you."

"It's things like this that make me love you even more." I sighed, my crying stopped by now, and we walked over to the picnic to join the others. "Are the guys here too?"

"No, they're still back at home." Kevin said. "You got your ear pierced."

I grabbed my ear, feeling for the hoop. "Oh yeah, I did. Me and Christina got our ears done."

"Looks good." Kevin smiled. "But don't make it a habit."

"I won't. I promise." I beamed. We walked over to the food and sat down.

"So the guys are fending for themselves down there." Kevin said as he put some food onto his plate. "They have to cover all the interviews and stuff." I sat down next to him, and we all started to eat. "I got you some stuff while I was back down in Orlando." Kevin said to me.

"Why'd you do that?" I asked him.

"Because I missed you so much I bought you everything that I though you'd like." Kevin laughed out.

"I missed you too." I sighed.

"I know you did. You told me every night."

"And I meant it every time." We finished eating and the others kept on playing their games. Kevin and I sat down by the lake together by the same tree that I was at earlier. I was sitting in between his legs and we were looking out towards the water.

"When were you planning on heading back?" I asked him.

"It doesn't matter, because when I'm leaving, I'm taking you with me." Kevin said confidently. We sat there for a little while longer, just enjoying being with each other again.

"Guys! Let's get going!" I heard Justin's distinctive voice say. Kevin and I reluctantly got back up and headed towards the car.

"We don't get enough time like that." He said.

"Well, while we're on tour, we'll make time to be together." He smiled and I got into his car. "Where's all the stuff that you said you got me?" I asked.

"It's being sent up here." Kevin explained, smiling. "It should come later today."

We drove home and the others decided to leave Kevin and me at home by ourselves, while they went out to a movie. We gladly took to the idea and waved to them as they sped down the street.

"So those packages should be coming soon, right?" I asked him.

"Yeah, they'll be here today. I promise." He said as he gave me a quick kiss. As he pulled away, I pulled him back towards me and planted a deep kiss on his lips. He was surprised, but I felt his tongue entering my mouth and caressing my own. I ran my hands over his face, memorizing every aspect of it. His defined cheekbones, his deeply set eyes, and his thick eyebrows. I ran my fingers over his nose, and his perfectly trimmed goatee. I felt his hands roam down to my lower back and then down even lower, to my ass, rubbing it. It surprised me, but I didn't protest. Just as he started to push me onto the sofa, the doorbell rang and I heard him curse under his breath. I caught my breath as I walked over to the door, and then I opened it.

"Is this the Thompson residence?" A man asked, he was from UPS, and was obviously here to deliver Kevin's packages.

"Yes, this is." I said happily. The man gave me a form to sign and went to the truck to get the boxes, he came back with one that was really big, it came up to my neck, and another one that was of a more modest size. I thanked him and closed the door. I ran to the kitchen to get a knife, and when I came back, Kevin was opening the smaller of the two packages. The doorbell rang again, and confused, I opened the door again.

"There are a few more, I'm afraid." The man said. He came back with half a dozen more boxes and piled them in the living room. Kevin was smiling again as I walked back in, blown away with all the gifts that I had just received.

"I said that I missed you a lot, didn't I?" He chuckled. He finished opening the small package and handed it to me. I looked inside, and there was a black v-necked sweater, just like the one that I was wearing. Except that the one I was wearing belonged to Kevin. I laughed and Kevin pulled his sweater off of me. I pulled the new one over my head and Kevin gave me a little hug.

"Now you don't have to wear mine." He smiled. "Finish opening the others, but save the big one for last."

I did as he requested, and opened the other five packages, he had gotten me a Mickey Mouse watch, and a new dog dish for Bailey, who hopped up and down excitedly when he saw the steel bowl that had a little picture of Pluto on it. Some other things like a picture in a frame that was autographed by all the guys, including him. 'To my baby, with all the love in my heart, Kevin Scott R.' I immediately put that up on the mantle, and finished opening the big box. Kevin was sitting on the couch, smiling from ear to ear. I opened it up and threw out some of the packing peanuts that were in the box. When I realized what it was, I immediately pulled it out and hugged it tightly. It was a huge stuffed Mickey Mouse. I ran over to Kevin and gave him a deep hug.

"Thank you so much." I said over and over again. Kevin picked it up and gave it a hug too.

"I knew you'd like it." He said. "Let's clean up and go to bed, I'm kind of tired from the flight."

"Well, as much as I think that we should clean up, let's do it later." I suggested. Kevin smiled and grabbed the huge stuffed animal. We both headed up to the bedroom and he set it down on a chair that was in the room. It looked kind of odd in the all-white room, but knowing that it was from Kevin made it belong. Kevin turned around and pulled me back into the kiss that was interrupted earlier. I couldn't be happier. I was with Kevin, and we would be together for a long time. I rolled us over so that I was on top and pulled off of Kevin.

"You know, you didn't have to get me any of that stuff." I said.

"I know I didn't have to. I wanted to."

"I feel like I owe you something now."

"You know that you don't owe me anything." Kevin said thoughtfully. "But you can repay me by taking care of something." He said as he pulled me back down on top of him. I could feel his hard-on pressing up against my thigh.

"I don't know what you're talking about." I said playfully. "But there is something that needs a little attention right now." I grabbed his hard dick and rubbed it slightly. Kevin let out a low moan and pulled me into another kiss.

"You know exactly what I want." He said as he pulled my sweater over my head, along with the tee-shirt I was wearing under it. He ran his hands over my chest, "Been working out a little?"

"It's been three days, Kev, nothing is showing." I said.

"I can see it." He said before he pulled the zipper on my khakis. He plunged his hand into the slot and jacked my hard cock through my boxers. I threw my head back and let out a load moan. "Kevin, please, make love to me." I pleaded.

"That's all I want to do." He whispered. This side of him was so different than what he was like around the other guys. He was different around me. I pulled his shirt off of him and caressed his sculpted chest.

"Now this is someone that's been working out."

Kevin gave a little smile and pulled his own pants and boxers down, leaving us both naked on the bed. Kevin pulled me into him and rolled us over so that he was again on the top. I was amazed at his body's perfection. How he could be so muscular, but so light when he lay on top of me and so gentle. He leaned down for another kiss, this time his tongue venturing into my mouth and searching every curve and crevice. I run my hands over the firm muscles of his back and his strong shoulders. Kevin brings his hands to my aching cock and starts to jack it again. I release him from the kiss, his actions causing me to scream his name and moan uncontrollably. I hadn't jerked off in days, and his loose pulls were bringing me close. Kevin, knowing that I was close, brings his smooth tongue to my sensitive collarbone and begins to lick and nibble on it. The double sensations running through my body bring me closer and closer to the inevitable edge of orgasm. "Kevin, God, I'm close..." I whispered. I tensed up and felt the warm cum spurting from my cock, landing on my chest and Kevin's hand. Panting, I lay back on the bed, trying to relax after the releasing my pent-up cum.

"Kevin, thank you...so much." I whispered. He gave me a small smile and wiped the cum off of my chest with the bed sheets. "Are you going to make love to me now?" I asked him softly.

"Baby, all you ever have to do is ask me." He whispered. I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him into another kiss. He reached down and spread my legs further apart. His hands running along my thighs, causing me to groan into our kiss. He leaned forward a little and pushing my hands further down his chiseled body, resting them on his waist. His lips returned to my neck and I could feel the large, blunt tip of his trembling cock beginning to enter my asshole. I relaxed, trying to adjust to the girth of his shaft. My face cringed as the first inch of his long cock entered me.

"Chris?" He asked. He ran his hands over my thighs to comfort the pains running through me. I nodded and gave him a weak smile. He looked deep into my eyes and gently pushed me down further. Panting hard, I forced myself to relax and pushed myself down, taking all of Kevin into me. He looked at me with concern written all over his strong face. Pulling me into another kiss, Kevin began his long, slow strokes, causing a solemn tear to grace down my face. Kevin stopped his thrusting with the head of his cock resting right on my prostate, causing my breathing to quicken.

"Why did you stop?" I asked him, still panting.

Kevin stayed silent, only looking deeper into my eyes, prying at my very being. I looked into his entrancing green eyes and he slowly made tiny thrusts into me, so that the head of his cock rubbed my prostate over and over. This caused me to drop my gaze on his eyes, the pleasure too much to bear. I threw my head back and screamed at the top of my lungs, "Kevin, baby, god that's incredible!" He continued his tiny thrusts, causing me to fall back on top of him. I ran my hands over his face and his hair, screaming as he brought me close to cumming again. I started to suckle on his neck and tried to push myself down on his cock again, but he didn't let me, pushing me back up and rubbing my prostate. I came suddenly, to fast to warn Kevin, the cum splattered all over his muscular chest. This time, my orgasm gave me the strength to push down completely onto Kevin, filling me up with his massive rod. Kevin moaned loudly, giving my own cries of pleasure some competition. I rolled over again, so that Kevin was on top, thrusting into me with more force and speed. I wiped the cum off of his chest with my fingers and brought them to his lips, and he took them into his mouth gratefully. He sucked and licked my finger, removing all the cum.

"Chris, I'm close, I'm going to...oh..." He groaned as his thrusts sped up even more. I was amazed at his stamina and persistence. He pulled me up so that we were sitting, apparently his favorite position, since he always pulled me up right before he came. I held his body tightly, letting him thrust into me with what strength he had left. All the muscles in his body suddenly tensed and I felt the unforgettable feeling of cum being shot into me. Kevin held me tightly as he groaned and let himself shoot into me. He stayed hard inside of me for a few more moments, before he loosened his grip on me. I quickly pulled him back, causing him to jump slightly. "Kevin, I love you." I said, half-groaning. "I love you."

"I love you too, baby." He panted. "I'm never leaving you again." He lay me back down, and lay down beside me. I was falling in and out of sleep, and Kevin held me tight. I wriggled out of his embrace, and he gave me a questioning look. "I gotta go shower. I'm tired." I whispered. He followed and we both rinsed off under the cool spray of water. I pulled on a pair of pajama bottoms and the matching shirt. Kevin threw on a pair of boxers and we both lay in bed, our bodies intertwining, and our hearts beating as one.

***Author's Note: Well, this one took a while, and I'm sorry for that. But using the usual excuse, school started back up, and I don't know what I was thinking when I took up French. Anyway, thanks for all the emails that I got for the last installment. I live for email. Well, hope that this section is going to get as much email (bsb-story@usa.net), and I hope that I get more readers! Thanks for all the feedback, ideas, and criticism. I appreciate it. CL.